News
Blue Belt Technologies Announces US FDA Clearance to Market its STRIDE Unicondylar Knee System
June 4, 2013 4:21 pm | by Business Wire | CommentsBlue Belt Technologies, Inc., an innovative medical technology company commercializing robotic-assisted solutions for orthopedic surgery, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its STRIDE™ Unicondylar Knee implant system.
Transparent Electrode Enables Electronics on Contact Lens
June 4, 2013 12:10 pm | by Eunhee Song, UNIST | CommentsA hybrid transparent and stretchable electrode could open the new way for flexible displays, solar cells, and even electronic devices fitted on a curvature substrate such as soft eye contact lenses, by the UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) research team.
A Step Closer to Artificial Livers
June 4, 2013 11:54 am | by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office | CommentsPrometheus, the mythological figure who stole fire from the gods, was punished for this theft by being bound to a rock. Each day, an eagle swept down and fed on his liver, which then grew back to be eaten again the next day. Modern scientists know there is a grain of truth to the tale, says MIT engineer Sangeeta Bhatia: The liver can indeed regenerate itself if part of it is removed.
Detecting Disease with a Smartphone Accessory
June 4, 2013 11:36 am | by The Optical Society | CommentsAs drugs that treat HIV have become more common, the incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma has decreased in the U.S. The disease, however, remains prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, where poor access to medical care and lab tests only compound the problem. Now, Cornell engineers have created a smartphone-based system, consisting of a plug-in optical accessory and disposable microfluidic chips, for detection of the herpes virus that causes Kaposi's.
National Review: Non-Adherence Among Teenage Heart Transplant Recipients Is Widespread, Often Fatal
June 4, 2013 10:40 am | by Boston Children's Hospital | CommentsAfter receiving an organ transplant, patients must follow a regimented medication routine to maintain the health of their graft (transplanted organ). Failure to do so, known as non-adherence (NA), can result in life-threatening illness. NA has long been a concern among adolescent patients, but a new study from Boston Children's Hospital demonstrates the problem may be more serious than previously understood.
Altered Neural Circuitry May Lead to Anorexia and Bulimia
June 4, 2013 10:10 am | by University of California - San Diego | CommentsA landmark study, with first author Tyson Oberndorfer, MD, and led by Walter H. Kaye, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, suggests that the altered function of neural circuitry contributes to restricted eating in anorexia and overeating in bulimia.
Technique Could Identify Patients at High Risk of Stroke or Brain Hemorrhage
June 4, 2013 10:07 am | by Nationwide Children’s Hospital | CommentsMeasuring blood flow in the brain may be an easy, noninvasive way to predict stroke or hemorrhage in children receiving cardiac or respiratory support through a machine called ECMO, according to a new study by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Early detection would allow physicians to alter treatment and take steps to prevent these complications—the leading cause of death for patients on ECMO.
Alzheimer's Leaves Clues in Blood
June 4, 2013 10:04 am | by Kaizo | CommentsAlzheimer researchers in Spain have taken a step closer to finding a blood test to help in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. With approximately 75% of the estimated 36 million Alzheimer's sufferers worldwide yet to receive a reliable diagnosis, the potential impact on the lives of possible sufferers, present and future, could be huge.
Stanford Scientists Create Novel Silicon Electrodes that Improve Lithium-Ion Batteries
June 4, 2013 10:00 am | by Stanford University | CommentsStanford University scientists have dramatically improved the performance of lithium-ion batteries by creating novel electrodes made of silicon and conducting polymer hydrogel, a spongy material similar to that used in contact lenses and other household products.
Providence Medical Technology Announces U.S. Regulatory Clearance of PMT Cervical Cage
June 4, 2013 10:00 am | by Business Wire | CommentsProvidence Medical Technology, Inc. (PMT) today announced it received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its PMT Cervical Cage. PMT Cervical Cage is a novel minimally-invasive implant and delivery system for cervical fusion procedures. PMT Cervical Cage is indicated for use in skeletally mature patients with degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine (C3-C7) with accompanying radicular symptoms at one disc level.
Sunscreen Slows Skin Aging, if Used Often Enough
June 4, 2013 8:50 am | by LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer, Associated Press | CommentsIf worry about skin cancer doesn't make you slather on sunscreen, maybe vanity will: New research provides some of the strongest evidence to date that near-daily sunscreen use can slow the aging of your skin. Ultraviolet rays that spur wrinkles and other signs of aging can quietly build up damage pretty much anytime you're in the sun—a lunchtime stroll, school recess, walking the dog—and they even penetrate car windows.
ZipLine® Medical Begins Commercial Launch of a Noninvasive Skin Closure Device Designed for Suture-Like Outcomes at the Speed of Staples
June 4, 2013 8:30 am | by Business Wire | CommentsZipLine Medical, an emerging medical device company that is developing a platform technology for noninvasive surgical skin closure designed to provide a suture-like outcome at the speed of staples, reported today that it has begun shipping products for commercial use.
St. Jude Medical Initiates First US Clinical Study of the EnligHTN Renal Denervation System for Drug-Resistant High Blood Pressure
June 4, 2013 8:00 am | by Business Wire | CommentsSt. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), a global medical device company, today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to begin the EnligHTN IV Renal Denervation Study, the first U.S. trial using the EnligHTN ™ Multi-Electrode Renal Denervation System to treat patients with drug-resistant high blood pressure.
First Head-to-Head Study Shows Greenlight XPS® Laser Therapy Equally Safe and Effective with Faster Recovery as Commonly Used Turp for Treatment of BPH
June 4, 2013 6:09 am | by Business Wire | CommentsData presented at the American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting demonstrate that treatment for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) with GreenLight XPS ® laser therapy with MoXy ® fiber, instead of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), results in significantly shorter hospitalization, catheterization, and recovery times for patients, while maintaining equivalent safety and efficacy.
Ventana and Barco revolutionize digital pathology viewing experience
June 3, 2013 1:00 pm | by PR Newswire | CommentsVentana Medical Systems, Inc. (Ventana), a member of the Roche Group, today announced that it has signed a worldwide agreement with healthcare imaging expert Barco to provide Barco's leading diagnostic and clinical review display systems for use with the VENTANA Virtuoso image and workflow management system, offering a best-in-class, turnkey image viewing solution.
